This game is set in the Victorian Era, to start in London England. This is a new system, a homebrew I've been writing for awhile that's essentially a 'universal'. This setting is a sort of steampunk superhero setting, similar to the League of Extraordinary Gentlemen with a lot of the darker trends associated with World of Darkness memes.

The system gives characters a lot of flexibility both in their behavior and their ideals as people, expresses a variety of quirks, advantages and weaknesses not only of character but on individual powers and even the use of skills. My system is so flexible in fact that if a valuable advantage/weakness/quirk has not yet been created, one can be done so on the spot.

Characters are made using character points (stats, skills and powers) with advantages and weaknesses being added to round out the character. Progression is XP-based with a non-linear track and at our level of starting play, abilities aren't too fantastic, too over the top.

Looking for mature players who can wrap their heads around the idea. Queen Victoria reigns, the US and UK have a tight relationship. The US is a Republic made up of a Senate whose membership is created from the populations of their home states. The Speaker is like the PM or President with a limited term.

Technology includes box telephones, electricity, steam from coal and methane. It is the late 19th century, 1866 to be exact and the British Empire is at its height with colonies in Australia, New Zealand, Africa and of course, India. Steam-powered carts can be seen here and there in cosmopolitan areas yet many wild areas still exist.

The Republic Civil War ended the year before and the pro-slavery forces were able to defend their territory so successfully that the Northern Federation was unable to force them to succumb. Still the United States, the Northern Federation and the Southern Confederacy exist in uneasy truce.

The British Empire having abolished slavery sixty years prior have either returned all of their imported slaves and reunited them with their relatives and ancestors or made reparations and integrated their prior subjugated population into the free populace with all the same rights, responsibilities, freedoms and benefits.

Japan exists as an Empire that covers half of the area we know as China, Taiwan, the southern third of Vietnam and parts of Australia. The British Empire and the Japan are not currently in open war but most political associates feel it's but a matter of time.

Indian regulars form the majority of those on the line helping the Chinese defend what's left of their territory and to keep the Japanese from forcing their way into India.

Czarina Anastasia, the one surviving member of Czar Nicolas' lineage who (with mysterious help) managed to 'destroy' the evil Sorceror Rasputin and depose his rule over her country has married Prince Albert, son of Queen Victoria and is forming a strong socio-economic block between the UK and Northwestern Europe. The middle European countries and the Eastern groups are carefully weighing their options and watching this new, possibly terrifying, alliance to see which way it will blow for them.

Obviously, history has deviated a little. ;)

OR...

We're running a campaign called "Paradigm Wars" which could be described as a Stargate/Sliders/NOEN/Time Tunnel kind of setting.

The setting is 2011, just a little further in the future than now. Society progressed a little different in this alt timeline, following something along the same lines of the Awakening campaign, technology is a little further along, industry is a little cleaner, the UN is "more engaged" in running the world and if you're not a member, you get no bennies. And if you are a member, there is a line that must be toe'd.

A small company called Paradigm is a privately held and 'relatively' small company that does primarily R&D. Over the 93 years they've been in business they've operated under the premise of "making the world a better place every day, a day at a time". They've been responsible for technological advances in every market and industry but most-often, choose not to do the industrialization themselves, except where they can use it privately. They keep a low profile, have no interest in corporatization or loss of private ownership and are family-owned and run.

The characters are all specialists in their fields (D20 modern and Call of Cthulhu classes) with equivalent skills and abilities to 4th level. None of them are people that are so famous they would be overly missed if they went missing and not some idiot straight out of college without some reputable work under their belt. We have one para/xenopsychologist sensitive (mine), a diplomat/quantum mechanics specialist (Timm's) and a security/tactical character (Gene's) as well as a corporate oversight agent (NPC).

Recruitment by Paradigm can be played out or assumed (I've had one done each way) and ultimately, the explanation is given that the company has found a way to "translate" matter and energy from one place in space to another place in space and need a team of humans to go. Probes provide a great deal of information but they cannot explain the "experience" of translation and this is, ultimately, what Paradigm lacks before they go any further. Initially, the team is to be sent to another world to experience translation and to explore a world that has been deemed "safe".

Of course, nothing is ever as it seems.

Tap me if you're interested in this scenario or want more information on what's going on.

Thanks!

Charles1971

12-10-2008, 12:37 PM

This sounds very interesting. Have you started the campaign yet? If not and you are still looking for players, I might be interested.

xawakening

12-11-2008, 12:14 PM

This sounds very interesting. Have you started the campaign yet? If not and you are still looking for players, I might be interested.

Hey Charles

Actually this campaign never got anywhere but I did put together a small group for a different idea with the same flexible D20-based system.

We're running a campaign called "Paradigm Wars" which could be described as a Stargate/Sliders/NOEN/Time Tunnel kind of setting.

The setting is 2011, just a little further in the future than now. Society progressed a little different in this alt timeline, following something along the same lines of the Awakening campaign, technology is a little further along, industry is a little cleaner, the UN is "more engaged" in running the world and if you're not a member, you get no bennies. And if you are a member, there is a line that must be toe'd.

A small company called Paradigm is a privately held and 'relatively' small company that does primarily R&D. Over the 93 years they've been in business they've operated under the premise of "making the world a better place every day, a day at a time". They've been responsible for technological advances in every market and industry but most-often, choose not to do the industrialization themselves, except where they can use it privately. They keep a low profile, have no interest in corporatization or loss of private ownership and are family-owned and run.

The characters are all specialists in their fields (D20 modern and Call of Cthulhu classes) with equivalent skills and abilities to 4th level. None of them are people that are so famous they would be overly missed if they went missing and not some idiot straight out of college without some reputable work under their belt. We have one para/xenopsychologist sensitive (mine), a diplomat/quantum mechanics specialist (Timm's) and a security/tactical character (Gene's) as well as a corporate oversight agent (NPC).

Recruitment by Paradigm can be played out or assumed (I've had one done each way) and ultimately, the explanation is given that the company has found a way to "translate" matter and energy from one place in space to anothe rplace ins pace and need a team of humans to go. Probes provide a great deal of information but they cannot explain the "experience" of translation and this is, ultimately, what Paradigm lacks before they go any further. Initially, the team is to be sent to another world to experience translation and to explore a world that has been deemed "safe".

Of course, nothing is ever as it seems.

Interested? Characters have been made, some RP has been done so far but the first session will be the first weekend in January, I believe. We're still working out schedules.